Wireless communications adapter for a network device

Abstract

Described herein is an adapter that can facilitate communications between a bi-polar serial communications port of a network device and a mobile device that communicates wirelessly. The adapter can include circuitry configured to communicate and receive wireless signals to and from the mobile device over air at least at 1 Mbit/s. Such circuitry can also be configured to consume at most 0.5 W and convert a wireless signal into a unipolar signal, and vice versa. The adapter can also include an energy storage component configured to store energy from a bi-polar serial signal received from the port. The adapter can also include circuitry, configured to receive the stored electrical energy and convert a unipolar signal to a bi-polar serial signal compatible with the port using the received energy. The adapter can also include circuitry configured to convert a bipolar signal to a unipolar signal.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A communications adapter, comprising:
 low-power wireless communications circuitry, configured to:
 communicate and receive wireless communications signals to and from a mobile device over air at least at 1 megabit per second; 
 consume at most 0.5 watts of power; and 
 convert a wireless communications signal into a unipolar communications signal, and vice versa; 
 
 electrical energy storage circuitry, including an electrical energy storage component configured to store at least some electrical energy from a bi-polar serial communications signal received from a bi-polar serial communications port of a network device; 
 bi-polar conversion circuitry, configured to:
 receive electrical energy stored by the electrical energy storage component; and 
 convert a unipolar communications signal, communicated by the low-power wireless communications circuitry, to a bi-polar serial communications signal compatible with the bi-polar serial communications port of the network device using the electrical energy received from the electrical energy storage component; and 
 
 unipolar conversion circuitry configured to convert a bipolar communications signal, communicated from the bi-polar serial communications port of the network device, to a unipolar communications signal. 
 
     
     
       2. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the wireless communication signals communicated and received by the low-power wireless communications circuitry conform to BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY standards. 
     
     
       3. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the bi-polar serial communications signals conform to RS-232 standards. 
     
     
       4. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the bi-polar serial communications signals conform to UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS standards. 
     
     
       5. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical energy storage component includes a supercapacitor. 
     
     
       6. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical energy storage component includes a battery. 
     
     
       7. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical energy storage circuitry includes a photovoltaic system configured to supply electrical energy to the electrical energy storage component. 
     
     
       8. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein a signal conversion by the bi-polar conversion circuitry uses the electrical energy received from the electrical energy storage component to increase voltage of a unipolar communications signal such that it becomes a bi-polar serial communications signal. 
     
     
       9. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein electrical energy storage circuitry is configured to impedance match at least part of itself against the bi-polar serial communications port such that the impedance matching regulates storage of electrical energy from a bi-polar serial communications signal received from the bi-polar serial communications port. 
     
     
       10. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein a unipolar signal communicated from the low-power wireless communications circuitry includes a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) signal. 
     
     
       11. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , further comprising bypass circuitry configured to provide a direct communicative coupling between respective bi-polar serial communications ports of the network device and a terminal device, such that signals communicated to and from the terminal device bypass the unipolar conversion circuitry and the bi-polar conversion circuitry. 
     
     
       12. The communications adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the low-power wireless communications circuitry further comprises near field communication (NFC) circuitry configured to:
 pair the mobile device with the communications adapter; and 
 encrypt and decrypt wireless communications signals communicated and received by the low-power wireless communications circuitry. 
 
     
     
       13. A method implemented by a communications adapter, comprising:
 low-power wireless communications circuitry:
 consuming at most 0.5 watts of power; 
 receiving a wireless communications signal from a mobile device over air at least at 1 megabit per second; and 
 converting the wireless communications signal into a unipolar communications signal; and 
 
 bi-polar conversion circuitry:
 converting the unipolar communications signal to a bi-polar serial communications signal compatible with a bi-polar serial communications port of a network device, the conversion using electrical energy stored by an electrical energy storage component of the adapter to increase voltage of the unipolar communications signal; and 
 communicating the bi-polar serial communications signal to the bi-polar serial communications port of the network device. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the wireless communication signal includes a BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY signal, wherein the bi-polar serial communications signal includes an RS-232 signal, and wherein the bi-polar serial communications port includes an RS-232 port. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 receiving a bi-polar serial communications signal from the bi-polar serial communications port of the network device; and 
 storing, at the electrical energy storage component, at least some electrical energy from the bi-polar serial communications signal received from the bi-polar serial communications port. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising impedance matching at least a part of the adapter against the bi-polar serial communications port such that the impedance matching regulates storage of electrical energy from the bi-polar serial communications signal received from the bi-polar serial communications port. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the electrical energy storage component includes a supercapacitor, a battery, or a photovoltaic system. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 pairing the mobile device with the communications adapter; and 
 decrypting the wireless communications signal. 
 
     
     
       19. A communications adapter, comprising:
 low-power wireless communications circuitry, configured to:
 communicate and receive wireless communications signals to and from a mobile device over air at least at 1 megabit per second, wherein at least some of the wireless communication signals communicated and received by the low-power wireless communications circuitry conform to BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY standards; 
 consume at most 0.5 watts of power; and 
 convert a wireless communications signal into a unipolar communications signal, and vice versa; 
 
 electrical energy storage circuitry, including an electrical energy storage component configured to store at least some electrical energy from a bi-polar serial communications signal received from a bi-polar serial communications port of a network device, wherein bi-polar serial communications signals communicated and received by the bi-polar serial communications port conform to RS-232 standards; 
 bi-polar conversion circuitry, configured to:
 receive electrical energy stored by the electrical energy storage component; and 
 convert a unipolar communications signal, communicated by the low-power wireless communications circuitry, to a bi-polar serial communications signal compatible with the bi-polar serial communications port of the network device using the electrical energy received from the electrical energy storage component; and 
 
 unipolar conversion circuitry configured to convert a bipolar communications signal, communicated from the bi-polar serial communications port of the network device, to a unipolar communications signal. 
 
     
     
       20. The communications adapter of  claim 19 , wherein the electrical energy storage component includes a supercapacitor, a battery, or a photovoltaic system.